


The Shadows of the Dark

by Charlie_Harrison1806



Series: Shadows [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: F/M, Shadow can kick arse, Trilogy, based around the first avengers film
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-28 12:01:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 18,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13903593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlie_Harrison1806/pseuds/Charlie_Harrison1806
Summary: Timor was 5 when she was found by Charles Xavier. She was 10 when she found out the full extent of her mutation. She was 15 when she learnt to control it but 20 when someone ruined her concentration.Going by her code name Shadow, Timor learns how to fight and how to use her mutation to help others, even if it means risking everything she thought she knew about herself and the people she was told to fear.





	1. Prologue

“Jean,” A soothing masculine voice says to the darkness around him.

“I hear it too,” A feminine voice confirms. I hear the sound of crunching gravel and look out from the blanket of darkness to see a bald man in a wheelchair being pushed by a young red-headed woman. Both were looking around in the darkness shrouding me but I could feel my fear increasing as they got closer.

“She’s very strong professor but very scared,” the woman, Jean, admits. I see the man nod his head as he turns to face me.

_It’s okay to come out._

“I’m sorry! Whatever happened, I’m sorry! Just don’t hurt me! Please!” I scream out running from the darkness and out into the street lights. I trip on the curb and start crawling not caring about the pain until I’m on my feet again.

“Hey. Hey, it’s okay. We’re not here to hurt you,” A woman with white hair lands on the ground in front of me, crouching to my level as I stumble backwards.

“No. Please! I’m sorry! I’ll be good I swear!” I fall to my knees and cover my ears, screaming and crying as fear takes over my mind.

“Timor,” _we are not here to hurt you. We are just like you._ I look up to the bald man, tears still streaming down my face and his soft smile helps just the slightest.

“How… how did you know my name?” I questioned feeling worry spike in the back of my mind.

“I’m a mutant, just like you are. My name is Charles Xavier and I can read people’s minds,” the man explained. I got up from my knees and walked cautiously forwards.

“What about them?” I inquired, voice timid.

“I can move things with my mind and Storm can manipulate the weather,” The red-headed woman stated pointing to the white-haired woman at the end.

“What do you want with me?” I inquired fear returning to my body.

“I want to help you. I want to help teach you how to control your mutation and stop it from controlling you,” The man offered me his hand with a soft smile and I agreed by accepting his hands and climbing into his lap mindlessly. I could see their soft smiles and started to feel a bit calmer at their sudden appearance. Jean pushed the wheelchair towards the unknown and I felt sleep slowly taking over my body, my last thought: _Why couldn’t my parents have been like this?_

When I woke up, I was in a warm bed and in a clean set of clothes. I looked around the largish room to see it was plain with no extra furniture than the basic and Xavier by my bedside.

“How are you feeling?” Xavier inquired. I nodded my head, not trusting myself to talk before sitting up in bed to look at him directly. Laying down and listening to him talking brought back fears, fears about what I ran away from.

“I’ll give you a tour of the house as we head down for breakfast. Does that sound fun?” I nod my head again and climb out of the bed.

“So this will be your room while you are here but you are welcome to roam the house to your heart's content just not in the lower levels,” Charles warns and I nod my head in understanding as I walk alongside him and out of my room.

“Classrooms are all down this end of the house and you will be in classes with other students around your own age. I will personally help you to learn and control your mutation at every opportunity I can,” “Thank you but why?” Charles stopped moving and I turned to face him.

“I have never seen a mutation this strong or in a person as young as you are, Timor. I will do my best to help you so that you don’t have fear with you for the rest of your life,” I nodded my head to his explanation before following after him as he kept showing me the areas of the house and telling me what I would be doing. When we reached the kitchen a man with funny looking hair walked over and pointed to me with a slightly confused expression while looking at the professor.

“Logan, this is Timor, our newest student. Logan teaches history here,” I nodded once but found myself a little too afraid to even look at the man.

“She seems young, professor. Are we recruiting them as infants next?” the man questioned mockingly before walking off smoking a cigar.

“You’ve already met Jean, who teaches most sciences, and Storm, who teaches mathematics and secondary languages. I will be teaching physics and English,” Charles explains getting off of the topic of the other man. I was thankful for that as I continued to listen to him while watching the other students playing and eating, proud of their mutations.

“There is also another teacher, Scott, who will teach you about basic life skills and some slightly more advanced to help you get through daily life,” I nod in agreement before moving to the table that Xavier suggested I sit at for breakfast, I’m thankful that Charles is wanting to help me no longer be afraid of my mutation but fear, fear will always be with me.


	2. Chapter 1

_Shadow. I need you to please come to my office._  I hear the Professor's voice in my head and sigh slightly. I was still thinking about agreeing to the teaching position he had offered me but I was unsure. On one hand I feel I should give back to the school after he helped me with my mutation for 15 years today but on the other hand, I want to see the world but not from a battlefield. Giving up on my choice for the moment I take a deep breath and jump to the Professor's office, startling two men in the room.

"Shadow, this is Captain Steve Rogers and Tony Stark," I offer my hand in greeting to both getting a handshake from Steve but a flirty kiss on the hand from Tony.

"I will give you three some privacy," Charles announced before rolling out of the room.

"We heard you might be able to help us," Steve begins as soon as the Professor's office door is closed.

"That depends on what it is,"

"There's an evil villain that we need help to take down but he has an alien army from outer space," Tony explains in layman's terms and I fight the urge to hit him. Something about him just makes me want to. Maybe it's the way he keeps looking over my body or maybe it's just the fact that I don't like him.

"That still doesn't explain. You need a villain taken care of whoop dee friggin do. I want to know why me? Why do you want me?" I inquire again, hopefully clarifying my actual question.

"This villain's name is Loki. He is apparently a master of magic, we need something stronger in case our plan goes wrong," I think over what Steve had said wondering if it was actually worth doing.

"When you say Loki, you mean Norse god of Mischief and Lies? The trickster god?" I ask trying to make sure I have heard the name correctly and that I wasn't getting confused with Gabriel.

"Yes, ma'am,"

"You don't need to do the yes ma'am thing. My name is Shadow so please use it," I ask politely, hoping it didn't sound rude. "What would I be doing if I am needed?"

"We have reason to think that if it came to a battle between Loki and another person, you would win. We need to have you around in case that is what it comes down to. He has an alien army about to appear over New York City and we need to know if you'll help," Steve explained and I questioned it thoroughly, but quickly.

"Aliens, you say? Let me have a go at some of the bastards and we have a deal," I offered, putting my hand out to be shaken. Steve nodded his head and shook my hand.

"If you have a suit, you better suit up." I scoffed at his idea, thoroughly missing the feeling of real fabric. As I followed behind Tony and Steve, I changed to my armour before we walked outside. The first thing I saw was a jet and a red and gold suit outside the school and wondered how I missed them arriving.

"I'll see you there," Tony exclaimed before hopping into the suit and taking off from the ground.

"I'd be able to get anywhere faster than him," I mumbled to myself before following after Steve. He walked up a ramp and into the body of a very advanced plane but not quite at the same level of the jet the X-Men use. I looked around and admired the inside until a voice broke my thoughts.

"She's just a kid," I glanced at a man at the front of the plane as he looked me over, I think he was struggling to comprehend me.

"Just get to the Tower and then we can sort out all your problems," Steve ordered as he sat down. I sat next to him kind of surprised by the fact that there was only four of us in this large plane.

"Steve," The woman's voice called and I turned to watch Steve walk up to the front, looking out of the large window. There was a man wearing green, gold and black with a horned helmet on the balcony of the Stark Tower, aiming some kind of sceptre at the plane.

"Shadow. Can you entertain him for a while?" Steve asked turning to face me. I stood up proudly and smiled.

"On it," I focused on a dark patch of cement behind the man and jumped, scaring the man slightly when I appeared behind him.

"Of all of the mortals they could send, they send a pathetic child." The man laughed and I smiled in return.

"Oh, honey. I may be a kid but I am no mortal," I jumped behind the man, punching him in the lower back. Jumping again to his left side and kicked him in the back of the knee.

"Oh. How interesting," The man used his sceptre to help himself out of his kneeling position on the ground while he laughed.

"You're a Shadow Jumper. Now, this is a game," I jumped out of the way as the man swung the staff for my head, landing on my back between his legs. I snapped my foot up, hitting him in the back of the head as I pushed onto my hands. As he stumbled forwards I jumped again, appearing above him as I fell towards the balcony, kicking him in the side of the head and knocking him to the ground. Jumping again to be three metres in front of him knowing he'd be expecting me to hit him again.

"I more than just a shadow jumper, Handsome. But if I told you everything, I wouldn't be having any fun." I watched a smirk plaster on his face and felt a presence behind me. I kicked out and collided with a chest. The man in front vanishing in a green mist as he appeared on his back behind me, laughing.

"Well, I've had fun but now it's time you had better pay attention to the more pressing matter," the man stood up and jumped off of the balcony after giving me a mock bow. He landed on some flying device and that's when it clicked, looking up and saw a massive portal in the sky allowing creatures to come flying to Earth. I sighed heavily before jumping to Steve's side when I saw him in the middle of a street below.

"What is this child doing here?" I snapped around to find a large man with long blonde hair pointing at me while looking at Steve.

"Thor, Shadow. Shadow, Thor. She should be strong enough to take down Loki," Steve explained motioning between me and the blonde man who seemed not worried but concerned.

"Sweetie, I already did but then he cheated and jumped off the balcony. No idea where he is now,"

"You beat my brother?" I looked at the deep, booming voice that was now behind me kind of shocked.

"Wha?" I asked looking at the man entirely confused

"The man on the balcony was my brother, Loki." I glanced at the blonde man and shrugged.

"I thought he'd be a bit stronger. Meh," I announced as the creatures landed around us and Stark flying directly towards us with a very large monster following.

"Do you want to demonstrate your powers?" the man from the cockpit of the plane questioned.

Okay but then you are giving me your name gorgeous," I walked a few steps forward and changed my armour to something a lot more flexible.

"Step right up, step right up. Watch the creepy looking monster disappear only one laugh per person," I exclaimed before jumping onto the creature and opening a portal to the void, letting it enter before jumping back to the group to avoid getting stuck in there...again.

"What did you do?" the only other woman asked as I landed next to them. I looked up to the dark black mist cloud above us, the creature having almost finished entering before turning back to her.

"Let it enter the Void. The gap between realities. Nothing that needs light, air or sustenance can live there for longer than a minute without perishing into nothingness," I explained before Steve cut in.

"Shadow, I need you to get any civilians out of these buildings now. They are all in danger if they stay in the city. Then find Loki and take him down without killing him. We need to know how to stop the tesseract,"

"Sir, yes sir," I commented a little too seductively as I saluted the good captain before jumping into the closest building.


	3. Chapter 2

“Everyone! You need to stay as silent as you possibly can and follow me very carefully!” I called out as I jumped into the centre of a large group of humans. A lot of them pointed an accusatory glare my way but I ignored it and started walking through them. I could feel most people following me but not everyone.  _I’ll go back and get the stuck up ass hat’s when this group is safe._ I led the group down into the subway, helping them onto the tracks and pointing down one way.

“Go that way and don’t stop for three stations,” I called. The group seemed hesitant but slowly headed in the right direction. I sighed slightly as I realised just how painful this was going to be before jumping back to the 10 or so that decided to ignore me.

“Hold tight. Keep breathing,” I warned a man as I grabbed his arm. Jumping to the farthest train station on the line. He started screaming bloody murder once I let him go but I ignored him as I returned to the building to continue taking the reluctant away for their own safety.

Next building, more people, few reluctant, jump them, repeat. That was my mantra as I kept jumping through the buildings. I could feel myself beginning to wear out with all the extra people I was jumping but was determined to get the job done.

I looked around now empty café and shook my head as I took a deep breath, preparing to jump again but ducked as the glass behind me shattered. My concentration had gone I couldn’t jump and two of those creatures walked in aiming at me. Sighing I tried to focus as I dived for cover behind the counter, jumping as soon as I could.

“Steve. I can’t get everyone out. There are too many people in those buildings even for me,” I called out to the Captain as I punched one of those things in the face, his head shattering from the impact. I jumped closer to Steve and opened a void portal beneath another aliens feet before it could stab Steve in the back.

“I’ll get the cops to do it. Loki’s back in the tower,” I nodded my head in agreement to Steve’s actual motive for telling me that. I focused on the tower and jumped onto the balcony feeling fatigue beginning to settle in for good. I sighed before looking into the tower, able to see Loki getting up off of the floor, a large crater in the centre.

“Did you piss off the hulk?” I asked mockingly as I walked into the tower. He looked as exhausted as I felt and took a small amount of pity on the god.

“Wouldn’t you like to know. So are you the pet?” I stopped where I stood with no idea what Loki meant.

“Huh?”

“You must be such the obedient pet. Doing as your told, never thinking for yourself,” Loki was walking closer, sceptre back in his hand and god knows where he got it from.

“Yeah, sweetie. You need to stop smoking whatever it is you’re doing. You aren’t making sense to me,” I stated completely amused by his speech.

“I could give you freedom. Freedom where you don’t have to worry about others again,” Loki stated before pushing the tip of the sceptre to my chest.

“Was that supposed to do something?” I asked looking down.

“That should have worked,” Loki mumbled under his breath before trying again.

“Uh, I’m not an expert but I don’t think it works on shadows. I may be wrong though,” Loki looked up at me confused and in time for my fist to meet his face. As he stumbled backwards, tripping over a step, he dropped the sceptre and I picked it up.

“I wonder. If I broke this, what would happen?” I studied Loki’s sceptre in detail finding some carvings on the bottom that you would completely miss if you weren’t looking for them.

“I’d kill you quicker,” I sidestepped to my right, before pushing the base of the sceptre over my shoulder, hitting the real Loki in the nose. I spun to my left, hitting him in the leg and flicking his leg out from under him. The momentum pushing him onto his back again.

“What if… what if I use this on you?” I inquired pointing the pointy end at his chest but not touching him. Loki raised his hands and I saw the slightest shiver of green over his fingers. I spun around and knocked Loki in the side, pushing the sceptre into the ground and using it as a pole vault to kick him in the chest.

“Come on. I’m not even using my powers and yet I’m kicking your arse,” I teased as I kicked out his left leg from under him and then hooking my leg around his neck, pulling him to the ground hard.

“You have talent I will admit. But not enough,” Loki commented sounding out of breath before at least another 8 Loki’s appeared around me, along with the real Loki in there somewhere.

“Found you,” I jumped behind the only Loki with a shadow and kicked his lower back. He stumbled forwards and all of the Loki’s around seemed to glitch slightly before disappearing.

“Are you enjoying yourself there, Shadow?”

“Yes, I am, Tony. Thanks for asking,” I jumped next to Loki and punched him in the gut before jumping behind him and kicking him in the knee. Followed by a kick to his face after I jumped in front of him, knocking him out for a while.

“Remind me not to piss you off,” I nodded to the man from the cockpit but still had no idea who he was. After that, we all helped emergency services to get the injured and dead off of the streets while SHIELD agents, with the help of Thor, got Loki into magic restricting cuffs before they headed god knows where.

“That was fun,” I commented aloud to Steve as I thought about when I’d next get to kick Loki’s arse.

“Are you going to explain your mutation to any of us at some point?” Steve asked as we walked side by side slightly behind the group, all of us heading to get something called shawarma.

“What is there to explain?” I asked looking over at him confused.

“You can teleport, open portals into a gap between realities where nothing can live. There is a lot to explain,”

“One, it’s shadow jumping not teleporting. Two, it’s called the Void. Three, that is not everything I can do,” I commented before seeing Thor stop to face Steve and I.

“I would like to take Shadow with me when I take Loki back to Asgard,” Thor announced in his booming voice.

“God of Thunder. I see it now,” I commented making Steve and Tony, who had also stopped, laugh. I smiled proudly before I caught up with the three people I still hadn’t been introduced to yet, leaving the boys to talk.

“Good job kid,”

“Thanks. You still owe me your name though. I’ve known you for like 8 hours now and I still don’t know your name,” I noted.

“I’m Clint or Hawkeye,” I shook hands with him and felt a small smile tug at my lips.

“Bruce Banner,” The other man states holding out his hand. I shake it but try and question why the name rings a bell.

“You’re the guys that turns into the Hulk, aren’t you? You seem a lot nice than I thought you would,” I commented realising that was probably the wrong way to put it.

“Uh, thanks?”

“Natasha Romanov. Black…”

“Black Widow. One of the world’s deadliest assassins. Fast, agile, deadly with guns and blades. Sorry,” I exclaimed shaking her hand before looking at the extremely interesting pavement beneath me.

“I’m Timor but I go by Shadow,” I explained to the small group, still able to hear the other three men talking behind me.

“Why are you called fear?” I looked at Natasha surprised at her question before remembering that she knows Latin.

“Because my parents were scared of me. It’s also why they abandoned me,”


	4. Chapter 3

“Hold that end of the, yeah. Now keep his hand on there too,” Thor was trying to get both Loki and I to hold one end to the container housing the Tesseract but I was too busy laughing to pay proper attention and Loki was rolling his eyes at Thor’s failed attempts to control us. Each time I grabbed the container, Loki would let go and vice versa, always annoying poor Thor.  
“Okay. Okay,” I grabbed Loki’s hands and held them onto the container with the Tesseract inside, making sure that he couldn’t let go as Thor twisted the other side of the container. I felt ill as my insides felt like they were being forced out of my body at high speeds until we landed on a large multi-coloured bridge. The water flowing beneath was moving as fast as rapids as it headed to the edge of the world. The sun sat low in the sky, just above the horizon creating a golden glow over the city of gold.  
“Welcome to Asgard, Shadow.” I looked back to Thor and smiled my thanks before going back to admiring the scenery of the new realm and walking towards the edge of the bridge.  
“Thor!” “My friends!” I nearly fell off of the bridge as multiple new voices mixed with Thor’s yelling scared me. I turned around to see three males and a female clad in armour walking along the bridge. Loki looked annoyed and that made me wonder who these people were.  
“And who is this beautiful mortal?” A man with blonde hair questioned. I am still unsure if it was confusion or concern that flooded my system as he kissed my hand with a wink.  
“Fendral, leave the woman alone.” I nodded gratefully to the woman as Thor hugged the new people. I turned to Loki and watched him roll his eyes and face away from the scene in front of him.  
“They are weird,” I whispered quietly to Loki getting an affirmative nod in return before we both, unfortunately, looked back to the group.  
“Yes. We should be celebrating Thor’s victory on Midgard,” I tried not to cringe as I looked at the fairly overweight male, remembering that a celebration involved a lot of food.  
“My friends, this is Shadow. She is a mutant from Midgard and she was the one who beat Loki. Not I,” Thor explained motioning to me. I watched the woman’s face drop slightly before she regained her composure.  
“This is Lady Sif and the Warriors three,” Thor introduced and I just nodded politely only knowing two of the four new people.  
“Introductions later, Thor. Your father is not pleased that you have brought the mortal here,” Sif’s face when she looked at me just screamed that we were not going to be getting along in her lifetime.  
“Shadow. Can you please take my brother to the end of the bridge? I will see you when I get there,” I nodded my head to Thor’s request before smirking wildly as I grabbed Loki’s arm.  
“Hope ya don’t get motion sickness,” I saw a momentary look of confusion on Loki’s face before I jumped, taking him with me. When we landed at the end of the bridge I watched as Loki’s face turned pale and he collapsed to the ground looking like he was about to puke.  
“You should have said you get motion sickness before I jumped,” I saw the hateful glare in Loki’s eyes and just smirked as Thor landed next to us.  
“I’ve decided that I quite like him having that muzzle on. It means I don’t have to listen to him,” I admitted looking over to Thor who smiled.  
“I agree. However, it is being removed,” Thor waved over some guards who tied chains around his wrists, ankles and neck before removing the nuzzle and cuffs. The chains taking over the place of the cuffs in restricting his magic. Loki stretched his mouth and licked his lips before looking at me with a glare.  
“I will personally see to your end,” Loki’s words were still so silky but held little malice when laced with the hoarse tone of disuse.  
“No, you won’t, Sweetie. I’ll be laughing at your funeral.” I exclaimed before grabbing hold of his arm and Thor’s and then jumping to the patch of shade out the front of the palace.  
“Do stop doing that,” Loki ordered from his slouched position over a wall.  
“Doing what? This?” I grabbed Loki’s arm and jumped again, moving only a few metres but enough to make him collapse vomiting. Feeling slightly guilty, I pulled his hair out of the way for him.  
“Thor,” I looked to the new feminine voice and saw a lady walking down the stairs with her arms wide.  
“Mother,” I watched Thor embrace his mother while Loki stayed where he was, still looking very ill.  
“Is this the mortal that your father keeps talking about?”  
“Yes mother,” I tensed up as the woman walked over to me and embraced me after I stood up.  
‘what am I supposed to do?’ I mouthed to Thor who motioned for me to embrace his mother. I awkwardly wrapped my arms around her waist before letting go as she let me go.  
“What is your name?”  
“Shadow,” I answered bowing my head causing the woman to laugh.  
“You need not do that for me, Shadow. I am Frigga,” I nodded politely before she turned to see Loki crouched over the pile of sick.  
“What happened to him?” Frigga asked concerned as she knelt just behind Loki and rubbed his back. Thor and I bit our lips in an attempt to try and not laugh that failed terribly. Frigga turned her head and glared at the two of us making us shut up.  
“I apologise for my attitude mother but in a way, he did ask for the treatment he was given. Shadow is a Shadow Jumper. Loki’s body couldn’t handle that,” I saw Frigga’s eyes widen as she snapped her head to look at me.  
“I can shadow jump. I am not a Shadow Jumper,” I explained and Frigga shook her head.  
“A person who can shadow jump is a Shadow Jumper no matter what else the person can do or how they identify,” Frigga explained getting up off of the ground.  
“Odin will want to know, Thor. But first, let’s get Loki inside,” I helped Frigga to carry the still ill-looking Loki inside and into a large hall-like room with a man sitting on a throne at one end.  
“And what is this mortal doing here?” the man’s voice boomed.  
“Definitely Thor’s father,” I whispered loud enough for Loki to hear and heard the slightest chuckle from him.  
“Father. I hope that her being here might help to convince you to let Loki’s sentence be to repair the damage he has caused on Earth and to help protect it from further destruction,” Thor explained bowing his head to his father.  
“And why would a mortal change his punishment from life in the dungeons?” Odin inquired.  
“Because she is the person who defeated Loki, Father.” Thor attempted.  
“And you think that the fact that this mortal managed, on one occasion, to vanquish Loki would alter his sentence?” Odin inquired with a scoff.  
“No father. It’s because she’s…” Thor looked over at me before taking a deep breath. “Because she is a Shadow Jumper,” Odin snapped up to his feet the moment Thor finished, his eyes wide.


	5. Chapter 4

“Is this true?” Odin asked as he looked down on me and I could basically feel Loki’s smirk. Thor and Frigga were looking to me also and I kind of just wanted to run and hide somewhere or for the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

“People keep telling me I am,” I state uncertainly as Odin looks over every inch of my body with his eye.

“Frigga, can you please take her back to the courtyard? Mortal, when you get out there. I want you to bring Frigga with you to that shadow,” Odin pointed to a shadow next to himself before dismissing myself and Frigga.

“You had better be right my son. She may be the only hope we have,” Odin’s mumbled words confused me as the door closed behind Frigga and I. I followed her back out to the courtyard and there was a large number of people standing and watching Frigga and I.

“Ignore them. The news of your being here has spread quickly,” Frigga acknowledged as she turned to face me.

“Why me? Wouldn’t it be Thor or Loki that everyone should be talking about?” I inquired as I grasped Frigga’s outstretched hands.

“Shadow Jumpers are a race of multispecies beings that would be the saviour of our universe. Everyone believed them to be dead but if you are indeed a Shadow Jumper, you are the last of your kind,” I nodded my head in thought before looking back to Frigga.

“Are you ready?” I asked. Frigga nodded and I focused on the shadow Odin pointed to before jumping. I looked around and found I was a little off but not too bad.

“The steering’s a little off,” I commented as I looked over to Odin.

“For now, Loki will be held in the dungeons but he will return to Midgard to repair the damage and to protect the realm. This mortal will be the one to keep an eye on him and will be the one to decide when his sentence has been served,” Odin announced as Frigga walked over to Odin’s side and I walked back over to Thor and Loki.

“I will take Shadow to her chambers so she can change before the feast,” Frigga commented earning a nod from Odin. Frigga walked down the stairs and guided me out of the hall.

“I apologize if this is out of place but I am unable to change,” I began before Frigga smiled and shook her head.

“We will supply clothes for you, Shadow. You have no need to worry,” I sighed slightly before continuing with my original statement.

“I don’t mean that I have no clothes, although it's true, what I mean is that I cannot change as any item I put on my body vanishes. I’m still trying to find where they go but I cannot wear clothes,” I explained and Frigga turned her head to look at me.

“Then what are you currently wearing?” Frigga asked amused, pointing at my shorts and singlet.

“They are made with shadows. I can use them to cover my body,” I explained focusing purely on them and changing them into a long elegant dress of a dark blue colour. Frigga’s smile broadened as she looked at the dress.

“Do you know the full extent of your abilities?” Frigga asked as we continued walking down the long halls of the palace.

“I believe so but there is always a chance that there may be more that I can do,” I explained with a smile. Frigga nodded her head and motioned to a door behind me.

“This will be your chambers while you are here and anytime you wish to visit,” I opened the door and looked into the large room. The window faced out to the bridge I arrived on allowing an array of colours to catch on the blue and silver canopy bed.

“This is amazing,” I continued to awe at the room until I heard Frigga laugh at my reaction.

“I’m glad you like it. I will show you to the library so that you can look for information about your people if you’d like to know some more,” I nodded my head eagerly and followed Frigga out of my room and just down the hall to find a large set of wooden doors with gold trim on the edges. Frigga pushed them open to reveal a room almost as big as the grand hall filled to the brim with over stacked bookshelves.

“Your majesty. How can I help?” A young woman came running over to Frigga and bowed as she spoke.

“Hannah, you don’t need to do that,” Frigga stated making the woman go red with embarrassment.

“Of course. I apologise,” Hannah stated standing back up.

“Hannah. This is Shadow and she has access to the private library. If she needs something can you please help her,”

“Of course your majesty,” Frigga nodded her head in response to Hannah’s response before leaving the library.

“How can I help you, Shadow?” Hannah asked pulling me back to reality.

“I need to find any books on Shadow Jumpers that may be here. Can you help me find them?” I saw dawning on her face as I spoke.

“You’re the Shadow Jumper everyone is talking about. This way, all of the books on your people are in the private library,” Hannah grabbed my hand and gently pulled me behind her as she walked over to a gold chain covered door. She whispered some words and the chains pulled away from the door as it opened for us.

“Far left wall. You’ll see them as soon as you walk in,” Hannah stated before leaving me on my own. I looked around the smaller room as I walked in and saw the most mesmerizing books covering the walls. And as Hannah had said, on the far left wall were books that seemed to create their own shadows. A black mist flowing around them and reaching out to me as if calling for me to come closer and to read through their pages.

“What am I going to learn from you lot?” I asked the books rhetorically as I pulled the four dark books off of the wall staring at their spines as I did.

“ _The history and discovery of Shadow Jumpers_ ,” I said to myself as I lay the first book on the single desk in the middle of the room.

“ _Rituals and Traditions._  And just in case you didn’t know that Shadow Jumpers were living beings  _The Anatomy of living Shadows,_ ” I stated to myself and put the two books down. However, I found myself transfixed by the last book as there was no title on the spine and no writing in the pages but I just knew there was something to learn from it. I ran my hand over the spine and just about dropped the book in shock.

“Whoa,” I whispered as I watched the moving black letters on the spine, reading them as they created words.

“ _The End of Everything: Prophecies of the Shadows,_ ”


	6. Chapter 5

“Did you find anything?” I jumped out of the chair, knocking it to the ground as Frigga’s words startled me.

“Apologies. I had no intention of startling you,” Frigga apologized and I shook my head with a smile.

“I wasn’t expecting anyone to talk to me is all. I was wondering if I may borrow this book when I return to Earth. I mean Midgard,” I held up the book on the prophecies and Frigga looked at me confused.

“It is but a blank book. Why would you need to borrow it?” Frigga inquired, confusing me.

“You need to run your hand over the pages to bring up the words,” I explained placing the book in Frigga’s open hands. She ran her hand over the open page and nothing happened.

“Perhaps you should get some air,” Frigga stated as she passed the book back. I ran my hand over the page and black letters began to swirl over the page as a drawing began to drip and flow over the corner until centred on the page with words surrounding it. I looked up to see her face pale and shock cover it.

“Come with me,” Frigga took the book out of my hand and walked back out of the private library and out of the library.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as I jogged to catch up to her. We walked through numerous halls and past lots of people from maids to guards to royalty to visitors.

“As far as I know there is only one other person who has ever seen the words of this book and is still alive,” Frigga stated not slowing her fast pace.

“I don’t understand,” I huffed out still having to jog occasionally to keep up with her fast pace.

“One of the many things that I know about your people is that they were good at is making sure that any secrets that could not be revealed to certain people, were kept from them. Only those who need to read this book can read it,” Frigga stated as we stopped out the front of a heavily guarded door.

“Apologies your majesty but no one is to enter at this time,” One of the guards explained stopping Frigga from entering the room.

“This is life or death now let me past,” Frigga growled. I was shocked at her tone and I think the guard was too.

“Um, of course, your majesty,” the guard moved aside and opened the door for Frigga and I. The inside was cold and made out of stones, lining the walls and floor. There was a draft that brought memories of my youth come flooding back. I changed my clothes to that of what felt most natural and looked down confused when I found a pair of cargo pants with combat boots on my legs, a singlet and cloak over my body.

“Loki,” I looked up to see Frigga stopped outside of a white room with orangey yellow shields on two sides and Loki within.

“Have you come to visit, mother?” Loki asked mockingly.

“You have read this book, have you not?” Frigga asked holding up the book. Loki’s eyes scanned the cover and he shrugged.

“I wouldn’t know. There is no title,” Frigga turned to me and handed me the book. She flicked her eyes into the room and I caught the gist of what she was asking.

“Move the table closer to this side,” I told Loki who just laughed.

“And why should I? You are pathetic,” Loki stated smirking.

“Loki!” Loki rolled his eyes but moved the table thanks to Frigga’s reprimanding tone. I focused on the slight shadow provided by the table and jumped, landing in the small gap between the table and the shield.

“How nice of you to join me,” Loki hissed before moving over to the sole chair in his cell.

“For fuck sake. Have you read the book or not?” I questioned annoyed, forcefully throwing it into his lap. And unfortunately narrowly missing his crotch.

“Careful,” Loki growled and I smirked in response.

“Sorry. Do you need those?” Loki looked like he wanted to kill me but instead of feeling scared or worried, it just made me proud. He sighed before looking down at the book and running his hand over the cover. The gold letters covered the book before settling into the words at the top.

“Yes, I have read it. Why? Is it sacred?” Loki mocked. I tore the book from his grip and I slapped him purely because I could. While he was still recovering from shock I walked over to the shadow from the table and jumped back to Frigga’s side.

“Did you need to slap him?” Frigga’s tone, although questioning was scolding as well.

“No, I did it because I could. It won’t happen again,” I stated holding the book close.

“I’ll wake Thor…” Frigga began before I cut her off.

“Why’s Thor asleep?” I asked worriedly.

“It’s close to midnight. That’s why I came to see if you were okay,” I nodded my head in understanding.

“Oh,” I saw the smirk on Loki’s face as I looked at the ground.

“I will go and wake, Thor. You three are going back tonight. Shadow, I will go back to the library and grab the other books. I will meet you there. Bring Loki with you,” Frigga explained before walking away quickly.

“No. I am not dealing with that stupid way of travel again,” Loki explained moving to the edge of the bed. I noticed the shadow behind the bed between it and the far wall.

“That’s okay then,” I stated while walking behind the corner of the cell and jumping into that shadow. Loki had little time to register my being there before I jumped again, holding his arm and taking him into the private section of the library where Frigga was holding the other three books.

“Do you remember where you arrived?” Frigga asked and I nodded.

“At the end of the Bifrost is a room and it will be in almost complete darkness. Get there quickly, Heimdall will know that the two of you and Thor are going to Midgard. Take these,” I grabbed the other three books and placed them in the void with the other book before grabbing Loki’s arm.

“Thank you Frigga,” I jumped into a very dark dome-shaped room where a man stood in the centre on an elevated platform with Thor by his side.

“Are the three of you ready?” I was startled by the man’s voice and heard Loki laugh at this.

“Shut up,” I growled at him before moving to where Thor was motioning me. The last thing I saw before being at Stark tower was a bright array of colours.


	7. Chapter 6

“I think I will stick with shadow jumping,” I complained, wrapping my arms around my stomach as I felt like I was going to be sick.

“That’s how it feels!” Loki basically yelled in my ear and I just laughed. I felt his arm touch my back as he dropped his hands to his side and I jumped dragging his arse with me. The sensation made me feel a bit better but Loki went back to his pale and ill look as he sat on the floor with his eyes closed.

“Why the hell is he back here?” I looked over to Stark and nodded my head as a greeting before going back to laughing at Loki.

“He is to help repair the damage he has caused and to help protect the Earth until Shadow deems he has served his sentence,” Thor announced. I could feel Tony’s smirk as the new information reached his ears.

“Oh this’ll be great,” I heard Tony say before he and Thor left with muffled conversation.

“What? Going to stay and ridicule me?” Loki’s snide comment was lost as he went pale and held a hand over his mouth.

“You don’t keep breathing when I jump. If you stop breathing it makes you sick or it could kill you in the long run,” I explained handing him a small tablet. “Here. It will help ease your stomach,”

“So it’s poison?” Loki commented.

“Believe what you want. I was going to try and be nice since you are the only person who seems to know how to have a good time but that’s up to you,” I explained before getting off the floor and walking further into Stark tower. The whole place was completely unfamiliar as the only time I had seen it was during the battle and even then I hadn’t really looked.

“Shadow!” I turned slightly to face a smiling red head and felt my smile broaden.

“Hi Nat,” I acknowledged as she stopped a metre from me.

“I’m so glad you’re here. You have to come train with me,” Nat grabbed my hand and began dragging me after her.

“Okay, okay but hold on a second. I’ll meet you down there if you send me a photo of the room,” I grabbed her phone from her pocket and put my number into it before walking back to the balcony. Leaving Nat looking at me confused, I went to see Loki looking over the still smoke polluted city.

“Proud of yourself?” I asked. Loki turned his head to me in acknowledgment before turning back to face the city.

“I got caught. How could I be proud of myself for making such a pathetic mistake?” Loki was seething as his hands gripped the railing tighter. I placed my hands on the balcony and looked at the very destroyed city. Able to see some men cleaning up the train station with one of the large creepy aliens in the centre.

“Just think, this way there is no one trying to kill you. Isn’t that a good thing?” I heard Loki huff an annoyed and humourless laugh as I watched the men getting sacked by some government officials.

“You don’t know what it’s like to be feared,” Loki growled at me but before he could storm off when Thor called for him I grabbed his arm.

“You have no idea. My parents got rid of me because they were scared of me and named me as such. Shadow is the name I go by because I am ashamed. My given name it Timor, Latin for fear,” I exclaimed surprising him. “I can see people’s fears every day, I hear their scared and evil thoughts and feel them myself. You think you know what it’s like to be feared, try and be the living embodiment of fear.”

“Keep an eye on him. I’m going to train with Nat,” I ordered Thor as he wandered out onto the balcony before jumping down to the training room right after the picture came through.

“Hey. Sorry about that,” I took the ring opposite of Nat and readied myself as I changed the shadows around my body to a sports bra and shorts, similar to Nat.

“That’s all good. No powers though,” Nat explained before kicking at me.

“No problem,” I responded grabbing her ankle and twisting my body underneath her leg and kicking her lower back as she defended her other leg.

“So what’s annoying you?” Nat questioned as she jabbed for my neck.

“Something that I’ve been trying to forget,” I explained twisting and going between her slightly separated legs. She jumped over my arms and twisted around narrowly missing my face with her foot.

“Who reminded you?” she questioned as she jumped over my shoulders when I aimed for her shoulder.

“Don’t want to talk about him right now,” I grabbed her legs when she was part of the way over me and ripped her back in front of me. She hit the floor hard and I could hear her laboured breathing.

“You all right?” I asked offering Nat my hand.

“Yeah. How are you not out of breath?” Nat asked between gasps of breath, sweat covering her body in small rivulets.

“I don’t breathe,” I explained as I helped Nat off of the floor, both of us turning as the training room door creaked open. Steve looked up at the two of us, eyes flicking between us and over our bodies. I watched as Steve took a few small steps backwards before closing the door slowly and leaving the training room. Nat and I looked at each other before laughing at the situation.

Once we calmed down the two of us trained for a further 3 hours before stopping, Nat’s skin starting to become blotchy purples and blues. I climbed out of the ring and helped Nat out as she tried to get dressed, wincing every time she moved her right arm.

“You should get your arm checked out. Maybe by Bruce,” I asked nudging Nat suggestively. As she slapped my arm I saw the lightest layer of red on her cheeks.

“Shut up,” I laughed jokingly at Nat’s reaction before sighing.

“I better go back to babysitting. Poor Thor is probably about to kill someone,” I saw Nat’s quick questioning look before I jumped back to the top floor of Stark tower to see broken bits of furniture everywhere and Thor and Loki trying to attack each other.

“WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!” I heard Stark yelling from one edge of the room. I laughed quietly before jumping behind Loki and grabbing him before jumping back to where I was, separating the two brothers.

“Bad boy. Sit. Sit,” I pointed at the floor as I spoke smirking when I heard Tony and Thor laughing at my treatment of Loki. When Loki sat down on the chair behind him, Tony and Thor’s laughter grew.

“Good boy,” I cooed much to Loki’s annoyance before turning around to Thor.

“Now, get over here and sit your arse down or I’ll do much worse to you,” Thor gulped and Tony laughed before walking away.


	8. Chapter 7

“So he has to stay here?” Clint questioned pointing at a very annoyed Loki.

“Hey. At least you aren’t the one who has to babysit a grown man,” I quipped before leaning back in my seat and talking loud enough for Loki to hear. “And to keep an eye on Loki,”

“Why is he laughing?” Steve asked concerned as Loki began laughing. I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders innocently before going back to listening to the conversation… I mean argument about how to get rid of Loki.

“We could just kill him,” Nat suggested making another uproar start.

“Fuck this,” I said quietly and grabbed hold of Loki’s arm, jumping to the room he had been given. The walls were still plain and there was no real ‘Loki effect’ on the room.

“That desperate are you?” I rolled my eyes at Loki’s suggestive question but for a moment actually considered it.

“In your dreams,” I said before walking out and leaving him in the room.

“Not my dreams, Shadow. In _yours_ ,” I heard the door shut and lock but something actually made me stop. _Can Loki see peoples dreams? Can he affect their dreams?_ I shook my head and kept walking to my room just down the hall before heading for the shower and turning it on.

I let the shadows dissipate from my body as I stood under the cool water feeling it as it began to rise in temperature, letting it soothe my muscles. I kept thinking back to Loki’s comment though… _Can he see peoples dreams? Does he look?_ As the water began to burn I turned on the cold water to cool the water and make it more enjoyable again.

There was a new feeling in my body every time I thought about Loki’s comment. I had never felt it before and wasn’t sure what it was or what it was meant to do so I relaxed and just let instinct and human nature take over. I ran my hands along my sides, the water making it easier for my hands to slide over my skin before I lifted a hand up to my breasts and felt a small gasp leave my mouth when I felt an almost electric sensation go through my body when my fingers ran over my nipple.

“Nope. Nope,” I took my hands off of my body and turned the water off. I briefly went into my normal form and watched as all of the water fell from my body and hair to the ground, leaving me dry before using the shadows to dress in something more comfortable. I jumped to the main room of the tower and frightened everyone in there.

“Shadow. Don’t do that,” I rolled my eyes at Tony’s overdramatic tone when he spoke before sitting next to Thor, watching as everyone continued their own conversations.

“Does something trouble you, Lady Shadow?” I nodded my head before looking at Thor.

“Can Loki manipulate peoples dreams? Can he see peoples dreams?” I questioned. I watched Thor’s face contort in question at my words before smoothing out slightly.

“As far as I know yes but he cannot enter someone’s dreams,” Thor seemed to be questioning this himself but passed it off as he looked back to me.

“Mother would know. You would be best off asking her,” I nodded my thanks to Thor before concentrating really hard and jumping to the Library on Asgard, just about passing out with the loss of energy. I sat on the ground with my back against the bookshelf for a while, trying to stay awake and not pass out when I heard the library door open and rushed footsteps entering the room.

“Shadow? What’s wrong? What’s happened?” Frigga’s words were concerned and worried. I put a hand up to ask for a moment as I continued to try and get my heart rate back to a normal pace.

“Nothing is wrong. I just needed to ask you a question but the jump from Earth to here takes a lot more energy than I was expecting,” I explained and the concern in her eyes faded with a relieved sigh and a smile.

“What did you need to ask and perhaps take the Bifrost next time,” Frigga commented and I huffed out a laugh.

“Can Loki see peoples dreams and can he manipulate them?” Frigga’s small smile faded quickly before she looked at the guard behind her.

“You may leave,” The guard hesitated before nodding as he turned and left the library.

“He can see peoples dreams but he can’t manipulate them. I don’t believe he has ever seen or ever had access to a spell that could allow him to manipulate dreams,” Frigga explained still looking at me closely.

“Can he enter peoples dreams?” Frigga sighed before nodding her head.

“Yes he can,” I thought carefully about this information before thanking Frigga as she left, apparently being needed by Odin. I got to my feet and looked at some of the books that I had been leaning against and saw that there was actually a sign on the bookshelf.

_Loki’s Books. Touch and be executed._

“Does it count if I’m being nice and bringing them back for him?” I questioned myself aloud.  I grabbed one of the books that appeared to be the most read and opened it to find the book was in English.

“Whoa. Loki you seriously need to get laid if this is all you read,” I said to myself as I read the beginning of smut inside the book. I looked at the books again, thankful to see other books like Shakespeare’s complete works and Edgar Allen Poe on the shelf. Shrugging, I grabbed an armful of the books, including the smut book, and put them in the void with my books before concentrating really hard on the major shadow in my room. After all, practice makes perfect.

“Ow,” I landed on my bed and could feel my body groaning its annoyance but I ignored it as I walked to Loki’s room and knocked on the door.

“What?” Loki asked ripping the door open and glaring down at me.

“Oh, okay. I’ll read your books then since you don’t want them,” I answered turning and beginning to walk away.

“NO! Don’t!” Loki squeaked out before clearing his throat when I turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. “I mean don’t do that,”

“Fine. Here,” I pulled the 5 or so books out of the void and placed them in Loki’s outstretched hands. He nodded his head as he moved his lips, struggling to form the words.

“Thank you,” I nodded my head in response to Loki.

“You’re welcome Loki,” I then turned and left deciding against dinner only now realising I had been gone the entire day. I headed back to my room and pulled out the books about Shadow Jumpers and began reading, forgoing sleep for tonight.


	9. Chapter 8

***3 years later cause I couldn’t work out how to write the other films in context***

“What the hell could be so important?” I complained as I dropped my head onto my forearms, hitting the marble bench in the process. Loki started laughing hysterically at me when I took my head off of the bench and rubbed it.

“Shut up,” I groaned. The team had come back for a day or two after Clint got injured while they were looking for Loki’s missing sceptre, which they did find, and now they were gone again. Something about the robot guy that tried to kill us all the following night.

“Maybe they are sick of you as I am and that’s why they are gone,” Loki supplied as he got off of the couch and walked over to the fridge. I couldn’t help but stare as he bent over to grab an ‘apple juice’ from the alcohol fridge.

“Ha ha. Are you always such an asshole?” I saw Loki’s proud smile briefly before he cut it off and tried to remain stoic.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” He walked back over to the couch and sat down to continue reading his book while drinking his apple cider.

“Sometimes you make no sense,” I commented turning to face Loki.

“However do you mean?” Loki asked innocently.

“You’re not drinking the cider you just grabbed out of the fridge. Also the fact that you got it out of the fridge instead of ordering me to do it for you like you normally do,” Loki just shrugged before going back to his book and in that one moment of him shrugging I saw the slight shimmer on Loki.

“Where are you?” I asked realising that this Loki was an illusion.

“What do you mean?” Loki asked innocently.

“This thing is an illusion. Where are you?” I asked again after motioning to the illusion.

“I am not telling you…” He began but I cut him off when I could feel his fear growing.

“Library. Got it,” I jumped to the library to find Loki in a very ‘relaxed’ position.

“GET OUT!” Loki spat pointing to the door and trying to cover himself.

“MY EYES! OH, THE HORROR!” I covered my eyes while slightly laughing before I jumped out of the library. I walked away from the couch Loki’s illusion had been on trying to ignore what I had seen but kind of had to admit that it was a good sight. I rubbed my hands over my face and tried to stop thinking about Loki’s pale body stretched out on the couch but everything just made my mind wander.

“Fucks sake,” I walked over to the kitchen and began making a three-course meal that could easily feed all of the Avengers for a week… even with Thor’s eating habits. I pulled out all sorts of meats and cheeses from the fridge with vegetables and other ingredients. I grabbed knives and cutting boards as well as any dry ingredients I could think of that I might need, all of it ending up on the extremely large bench space.

“Can’t stop thinking about what you saw. Did you like it that much?” Loki’s cocky words startled me as I began to dice up some chicken meat.

“No!” I squeaked out slightly defensive. Even after having been his babysitter for so long, he still startles me and makes me into one of those stereotypical teenaged girls when he wants to. I could see Loki’s smirk but tried to ignore it as I tried to cut the chicken for the second time. I watched Loki in my peripheral vision and knew he was waiting for me to fuck up with my cutting.

I felt proud of myself when I managed to finish cutting the chicken without cutting myself. I put the chicken in a pot to cook and moved all of the dished in the sink to be cleaned before starting again with some sausages, hoping it might make Loki a little more uncomfortable if I look at him. When I looked up, Loki was gone and I wasn’t sure if he was still around or if it was just an illusion.

“FUCK!” I spun around and kicked Loki in the groin as a reflex when he grabbed me around my waist. Loki laughed half-heartedly as he was doubled over on the ground.

“Worth it,”

“You’re an asshole,” I exclaimed as Loki began to stand up.

“You know you love me,” Loki jokingly commented, holding his hands out to his sides and I didn’t think before I spoke.

“That’s not the point,” I mentally face-palmed myself as the words left my mouth and could feel Loki’s smirk widen slightly but hesitantly. When I looked back up his eyes seemed glassy with emotions running behind them and his smirk dropped to a stoic, almost scared frown.

“No you don’t,” He stated. Fear being the emotion he settled for as he left in a green mist. I sighed heavily before going back to what I was doing, ignoring the foul stench of fear that was flooding the tower now. The initial reason I began cooking was lost in my mind as the odd tear stung my eyes but never falling. I refused to let myself cry, always have and always will.

Cooking and cleaning up after kept me busy for long enough that I forgot what I had seen in vivid detail but I couldn’t get the painful feeling out of my body after looking at Loki’s face. It was a mix of pain, regret but also the pain of being rejected. Deciding I needed a rest, I headed to my bedroom before dropping like a rock to the bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

_“Loki,” I ran over to Loki as the world filled with the smoke and stench of death and destruction. “Why?” I didn’t know what I was asking about but I could feel tears streaming down my face._

_“Why?! You dare to ask me, a god and your king why!” I reached out for Loki’s shoulder but missed as I fell down a hole, as the ground beneath me opened up. The darkness surrounded me as I fell, getting darker and darker until being pitch black when I landed on a soft object. I could no longer see the top of the hole and I wondered where I was now. I looked around and could see nothing but darkness as I stood up.  I looked down to see what I had landed on and cried out when I saw Loki laying on the ground and unmoving. I scrambled to check for vital signs and when there was no response I looked at my hands and saw them covered in blood, his blood._

_“You did this. This is your fault,” I turned to the familiar voice but, the sound of sorrow and pain etching the mournful tone was not something I had ever heard before._

_“I haven’t done anything,” I pleaded with Loki as something began to grab for my arms and legs, holding me where I was I looked down to see severed arms and hands grabbing me and pulling me into the ground beneath me. The Loki in front of me changed from the one that looked dead and heart-broken to one full of life and mischievousness._

_“But you want to,” Before Loki gripped my neck the whole scene around me changed. It went completely black before I was in the library in the tower and Loki stood in front of me, his eyes glassy and tears building._

_“Did you mean what you said?” I could see the hope and fear in Loki’s eyes as he looked at me. I knew he was talking about my slip up but pain and guilt filled my body. Taking a few steps forwards I reached out and rested my hand lightly against Loki’s porcelain skin._

_“Every word,”_


	10. Chapter 9

“Shadow,” I groaned and covered my eyes as the owner of the male voice knocked on the door, sleep trying to pull me back into the pain-filled world. I squinted through the black room at the glowing red numbers on my clock to see  _1:04am_. I looked over the covers to see a dark silhouette walking into my room.

“Are you awake?”

“Loki? What are you doing?” I rubbed a hand over my face and sat up on the bed, getting some shadows to cover my body in a loose shirt.

“Annoying you,” Loki commented half-heartedly as he sat on the end of the queen bed.

“Naw, are you lonely?” I questioned poking his arm. I saw the massive shit grin on his face before we both began laughing quietly, hoping not to wake anyone that was nearby, if anyone was nearby when my trip to Asgard 3 years ago came to mind. “What the hell were you doing in my dreams?”

“I wasn’t,” I could see a dark glow in Loki’s words and just laughed to myself.

“I can see you lying. Why were you in my dream?” I heard Loki sigh and the lights to the room came on. Loki’s eyes were red and puffy with either a thankful or regretful smile on his face.

“I didn’t want to believe you if you were lying,” Loki stated in a slightly confusing way.

“Yeah, and how much of my dream was you manipulating it?” I asked slightly annoyed with the god of mischief right now.

“Only the last bit. When you were in the library before waking up,” Loki admitted moving further up the bed, now sitting next to me.

“And how much did you see?” Loki gave me a look that told me he was watching my entire dream from start to abrupt end.

“No one has gotten back yet but they are on their way with some arc or something like that,” Loki explained when he saw me looking around the room towards where others would normally be sleeping. I nodded as I began getting out of the bed, letting a nearby shadow cover my body with a pair of shorts to go with the oversized shirt before turning back to the now standing Loki.

“I still don’t get why you were watching my dreams, Loki. What was so important that you had to take away my privacy?” If we had been in the library this would have been the exact moment from my dream. Loki cupped my face as he carefully pushed his lips against my own in a chaste kiss.

“The only person I have ever loved was my mother, until you. Will you give me a chance?” I felt my heart melt a little with Loki’s words and gave him a quick kiss on the corner of his lips while his face was close to mine.

“Only if you help me change the salt and the sugar around before Tony gets here. And to hide Thor’s secret stash of pop tarts,” I watched Loki’s smirk spread across his face as a green mist covered his body, leaving him in his normal attire of black leather pants and a green long-sleeved shirt.

“Milady,” Loki offered me his arm with a small nod, bringing a smile to my face. I linked my arm with his before jumping to the kitchen and laughing when Loki seemed proud of himself.

“It’s only taken you three years, one month and 13 days,” I commented making Loki’s smile drop into a playful pout.

“Every time you jump all I want to do is stop breathing. At least I’ve got it now,” I nodded my head slightly in agreement to Loki’s comment as I grabbed out the salt and sugar containers. Loki took the salt container as I grabbed a bowl. He emptied the salt into the bowl and I grabbed the sugar.

“What is the space that we keep going through?” I dropped the sugar container at Loki’s words and looked at him. I jumped right in front of him, startling him into taking a few steps back.

“You can see it?!” I asked making him nod hesitantly. “Every time I jump, I have to go through the Void. I leave this reality for a 1/1000th of one-thousandth of a second before re-entering at a different point that is in complete darkness,” I explained.

“So the spare bit of utter darkness is the Void?” Loki inquired seeming a bit calmer.

“Yes and only people who… son of a bitch,” I jumped to my room leaving a shocked and startled Loki in the kitchen as I hunted for the book in my room.

“Where is it? Where the Hel is it?” I questioned myself as I threw things everywhere and searched every drawer and cupboard that was in my room.

“What did you mean by that?!” Loki yelled as he slammed my door open.

“It’s just a saying, Loki. I meant no offence,” I explained not looking over at him as I continued to throw things until finding the black book with mist spiralling away from it.

“One of the things that I read was that only certain people can actually see the Void. Very powerful Shadow Jumpers and a particular kind of people within different life forms called Peculiari or Magna. I think you might be one of them,” I explained flicking through the thousands of pages to try and find the section I was after.

“Aren’t they the ones who were killed trying to protect the Shadow Jumpers? All the dead ones that is,” Loki asked rephrasing his comment when I glared at him.

“Yes. The only thing is I have never heard of a pure Jotun being a Magna while I was reading and even in the book of prophecies from my people there is nothing about a pure Jotun,” I explained passing Loki the book when I found the page.

“I have Aesir in my blood,” Loki explained somewhat upset as he began looking at the page.

“Yes, but were you born with it?” Loki stopped reading the book and looked over the top.

“I don’t think so but…” Loki hesitated and lowered the book.

“But it can’t be given. So how did you get your Aesir I wonder,” Loki and I both broke the weird atmosphere that had built up between us as we heard a loud noises coming from Tony’s lab. Grabbing Loki’s arm I jumped to the noise narrowly missing getting hit by some red floating man as he went towards the window to look outside. I stood stock still and looking forwards.

“Is it just me or is there a nude red man?” I asked Loki quietly.

“Yeah. It’s not just you,” Loki confirmed doing the same thing as me.


	11. Chapter 10

“So wait. There’s some AI robot that has Nat and y’all came back to here to squabble?” I watched as Steve and Tony glared at each other slightly before nodding guiltily.

“You and Loki are going to come and help stop Ultron so suit up,” Steve replied trying to avoid anything I could say to either man before walking past and grabbing the two new people.

“Okay so since we last saw them, there have been three new additions to the team,” I noted to Loki before looking at him in a jokingly shocked manner. “I think we’re being replaced,”

“I’ll give them credit for trying,” Loki stated before heading over to Thor.

“Shadow,” I looked away from the retreating figure of Loki and back to Steve. “This is Wanda and Pietro Maximoff…”

“Hello, replacements. Don’t worry, the last two died in three hours. I’m sure you’ll last much longer,” I grasped both their hands shaking them enthusiastically.

“You only have to deal with a new life-threatening mission every day and possibly two in one day. You’ll also have to deal with Tony and Bruce when they are in their experimenting moods and Thor’s constant yelling, Nat’s deadly eye rolls. Eh, you’ll be fine. You’ll survive for at least 12 hours!” I stated watching their faces drop slightly.

“She’s lying… Actually, that’s quite true.” Steve stated before covering himself. “But you’re not replacements. No one’s died…”

“Yet,” I cut in for Steve smiling stupidly.

“You scared them without me?” Loki asked as he walked back over, wearing a different armour to the one I was used to seeing him in.

“No. Only told them the truth. We can scare them later,” I said patting Loki on the shoulder and heading over to Bruce who was starting to seem a little conflicted.

“You all good?” I nudged Bruce slightly and he nodded almost unsure himself.

“We’ll get her back. We always do,” Bruce nodded his head and sighed.

“Yeah. You’re right,” Bruce agreed quietly.

“Alright. Let’s get going!” Steve called out. I watched Bruce carefully as he walked in the same direction as everyone else and could see a dejected but determined atmosphere around him.

“You have that knowing look,” Loki commented as he stood next to me.

“Bruce is in love with Nat and I think he’s going to try and run,” I explained to Loki as I leaned into his body, his arm wrapped around my waist.

“And you’ve already decided to let him do what he wants,” Loki noted as we jumped onto the quin jet.

“How did you get here so fast?” I looked at Pietro and smiled realising that he had enhanced speed.

“Magic,” I explained to the speedster who gave me a questioning look.

“No seriously, magic,” I answered honestly.

“He won’t believe you. Not when he’s always been the fastest person,” Clint explained as he boarded the jet and headed to the cockpit.

“Okay then. Don’t tell roadrunner that he is no longer the fastest person. Got it,” I stated before sitting down in the seat that Tony had called the fear seat as it is where I would always sit no matter what was wrong with me.

“When we get there the mission will be trying to find Nat and stop Ultron while avoiding as many civilian casualties as we can. Shadow, I want you to be the one getting civilians out of the buildings with your jumping ability.” I nodded my head as Steve began handing out orders.

“Loki do what you can to keep everyone on the ground in an organised evacuation. Use your magic if you need to,” Loki and I looked at each other before looking at Steve who sighed.

“Go,” Steve waved his hands as a ‘do what you want’ gesture. I grabbed Loki’s shoulder and jumped to the picture Nat had shown me the last time she was here of Sokovia and fell kind of awkwardly into a street with Loki beneath me.

“If you wanted to have some fun you should have said before we left,” Loki purred in my ear. I got off of him, ignoring his comment.

“That way,” I told Loki pointing towards a bunch of worried and concerned people. Loki rolled his eyes with a smile before heading off in that direction while I turned and looked at the numerous apartment buildings that would be filled with people and sighed.

Jumping into the buildings I went through and took as many people as I could in each jump thankful that I had been practising my jumping with more people as a training exercise. I heard the quin jet and Tony arrive after I had cleared a block of buildings, I could hear some fighting start and as I dropped a young child off on the ground and watched as a robot climbed out of the earth and run towards the young boy and I.

“Hold tight,” The kid turned and wrapped his arms around me as I jumped just in time to avoid the robot. We landed behind something that used to be a wall and next to Loki who seemed out of breath.

“My daggers aren’t working for me,” Loki commented with a smirk holding up a very broken dagger. I started laughing before reaching into the void and pulling out a different set of daggers.

“Try these. They’re made of the same alloy that Steve’s shield is made out of,” I commented passing them to Loki as he inspected them.

“Let’s see,” Loki stabbed the next robot that came around the corner then cut off its head.

“Well?” I asked knowing Loki’s answer.

“They’ll do,” Loki joked before going back to fighting alongside Thor. I looked down at the little boy as he rested his head in the crook of my neck.

“Alright kiddo. Let’s find somewhere safe for you,” The little boy nodded his head just as a hellicarrier came up to the level of the city, me having only just realised that there were clouds going past on the streets.

“Fury,” I called out when I landed behind the man in question.

“Don’t do that!” Fury jumped out of his skin and I just laughed.

“Take care of this kid,” I put the kid down and jumped back to the city to begin helping the rest of the team out. Most of the people on the floating city were out when all of the robots began heading for something in the centre of the city.

 _“Shadow. We need you at the church,”_  I looked around until I found a large steeple and jumped to the shadows near it, following Steve’s instructions.

“We need to keep those robots away from this. You and Wanda are going to stay here and guard it,” Steve ordered before running off to do something.

“So, how’d you get your powers?” I asked turning to face Wanda briefly before punching a robot into oblivion.

“Loki’s sceptre. You?” Wanda stated simply as a few robots just fell apart.

“Born with it. I’m a mutant,” I explained and opened the Void right in front of some of the robots, hoping it was the same part where I held a lot of other dangerous beings that can’t die in there.

“But I thought mutants were part of X-Men,” Wanda asked as she threw a robot into another, both smashing with the impact.

“They are and I was. I decided I prefer an actual threat to my life,” I joked as another round of robots joined the fight.


	12. Chapter 11

“I’ll be back,” I cried out to Wanda after seeing Clint running to help out a little boy with Ultron heading in his direction. I jumped over and grabbed both Clint and the same young boy I had taken to Fury earlier, before jumping to a transport ship.

“Don’t do that again, man! You nearly died!” I complained pointing at Clint who half smiled as he put the kid down. The boy ran over to a crying woman and I felt a small and painful smile pulling at my lips as I watched the mother embracing her son.

“Shadow?! Where’s Loki and Wanda?” I looked over the still rising city able to see a red mist occasionally and flashes of green and gold clothing before the whole city began falling.

“Vision. Help Wanda!” I cried out, pointing towards a train where Wanda was before jumping to the last place I saw green clothing. I felt weightless as I began falling with the city.

“LOKI!” I called out for Loki as I began twisting and turning in the air. I watched as Vision flew through the debris with Wanda in his arms. I heard a muffled yell and as I spun again to face the falling city below I could see Loki as he steadied himself below me. As he passed through a shadow I jumped down managing to grab his hand and jump again, landing heavily on the hellicarrier in front of Clint and Steve.

“So that’s where you two ended up,” Clint commented nodding to the two of us.

“What? Did you miss us that much? I’m feeling loved. What about you, Loki?” I asked as I stood up off of Loki. He just lay on his side head in his hand looking up at the three of us.

“Yes I do,” Loki stated playfully winking at Clint who scoffed and walked away jokingly.

“I want to say thanks, Shadow. You saved my life so thank you,” I nodded my head to Clint.

“I would have saved him too,”

“FUCK!” I screamed out as Pietro appeared next to me.

“Language!” Steve scolded.

“But he just scared the f… heck out of me,” I corrected when I saw Steve’s accusatory face, helping Loki up in the process.

“That’s what you do to everyone else!” I thought carefully about Clint’s accusation before laughing.

“I do too. Oh, you poor suckers. Pietro, we need to scare the life out of the team every day.” I offered. The speedster smiling in agreement.

“Agreed,” Pietro the ran past me in a silver haze with a smile on his face bringing a smirk to mine. I looked over to Loki who seemed offended or even jealous.

“Does Pietro and I scaring people together make you jealous?” Loki ignored my comment and as everyone else had already walked away he turned around and began walking.

“Loki. Come on,” I jogged after him, standing in his way once I caught up.

“What can I do to say sorry for offending you?” I asked when I saw that Loki was going all cold, similar to the first few days of me having to be his babysitter. I watched Loki pretend to be thinking it over but his broad smirk gave away that he already had something in mind.

“In your book, do you remember all of the rituals?” I nodded my head worried about where this was going.

“39 and we have a deal,” Loki offered confusing me.

“Why of all of the possible things you could have chosen, did you choose that one?” Loki’s smirk broadened and I shook my head.

“Oh,” I said making an ‘o’ shape with my mouth before smirking back at Loki.

“It sounds like fun anyway,” Loki linked his arm with mine and gave me a slight nod to let me know I could jump.

“Mine not yours,” I nodded at Loki’s whisper and jumped to his room back at the Avenger’s complex. The dark gothic room I had envisioned was not what I saw. The room was filled with greens and blacks with gold trimmings. Curtains pulled all the way allowing the evening light to make the room almost glow.

“Wow,” I commented looking around.

“Not what you were expecting, is it?” I shook my head and took in the intricate carvings and designs on every item in the room my mind still unable to catch up. I noticed a clock in the corner of the room which made me stop looking around and go straight back to looking at Loki.

“What?” Loki questioned confused before he looked over my shoulder at the clock.

“Ah, I see. Come on then. Wouldn’t want to miss is would you?” Loki ran his hand against my cheek before running his fingers through my hair. Wrapping my arms around Loki, I stepped closer to him as his grip on my hair tightened. He pulled my hair down slightly tilting my face up as he leant down and pushed his lips pushing against mine in a soft kiss.

“You sure?” I asked Loki as we pulled apart, it wasn’t the safest of rituals to be trying to do.

“Most definitely,” I took a deep breath and quickly grabbed the book so I knew what I needed to say. Once I had the words memorised, I threw the book back into the void and softly pushed Loki backwards until his knees hit the edge of the mattress. He lay down on the bed and moved up so that his head was on the pillows before he moved his hand over his body, a green mist following after his hand until it covered his body. When it disappeared the mist had removed all of his clothes for him, leaving his lean and toned body stretched out on the bed.

“The bodies of the darkness of the night,” I began in a whisper letting the shadows covering my body leave into the dark corners of the room as I crawled up Loki’s body.

“Feed hearts, in love, the two offered. All forces of the soul are of life” I straddled Loki’s lap and held onto his shoulders as he positioned himself at my entrance and helped to lower me down onto him.

“Bind them and let their hearts love forever.”


	13. Chapter 12

“What are you two doing up?” Tony asked as Loki and I sat on the couch in the main living room watching TV as we waited for the team to get back.

“Skydiving. We’re hunting elephants at the mall later, want to join us?” I questioned turning to face him. Tony just shook his head and swore under his breath before heading to the kitchen looking as though he would fall asleep any moment.

“Have you two signed those Accords yet?” Tony questioned from the kitchen. I looked at Loki and shook my head before sliding my finger across my neck to convey my message. Before either of us could reply Thor came bursting into the room making Loki and I jump a few metres apart.

“CONGRATULATIONS BROTHER!” Thor’s voice boomed through the whole complex making Loki and I stand up. When I looked to Loki, he began to scratch the back of his neck.

“Thor. Inside voice. Inside voice,” I scolded but Thor’s bright smile didn’t tune down. As I looked back to Loki he had his guilty look plastered on his face.

“What is Point Brake yelling about now?” Stark asked as he walked back into the living room, rubbing his hand down his face and yawning.

“Mother told me last night, brother. I am happy for you,” Tony just looked at Thor oddly before looking over to Loki and I. We both shrugged our shoulders until Thor gave Loki a bone-crushing hug, lifting him off of the ground.

“What are you all doing making so much noise?” Steve asked. Loki was now trying to squirm out of Thor’s grasp making Steve look over and shake his head.

“Thor’s congratulating Loki about something,” Tony answered and my mind caught up with the fact that the ritual we had last night had to have been accepted by a member of the royal family in Asgard as it had a similar meaning in Asgard.

“Mother fucker!” I exclaimed causing Thor, Loki and Steve to look at me horrified. I looked over at Tony and the two of us started to laugh.

“How could you say something like that?” Steve asked looking so hurt and offended.

“It’s… It’s just a saying. I mean nothing by it. However someone has some explaining to do,” I noted staring directly at Loki. I saw his face drop with slight confusion before pulling back into an innocent smile. I jumped to the shadow on the roof and grabbed Loki before jumping again to his room.

“Start talking. Now,” I accused poking him in the chest.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Darling. And if I did, surely it’s not that bad is it?”

“You are an arse. Tell me exactly why you chose that ritual. Now,” Loki smiled before nodding his head.

“You already know why but would you have agreed if I had asked?” Loki questioned smiling softly.

“I probably would have, Loki. It has a similar meaning to Shadow Jumpers,” I stated before jumping out of his room and down to the training room, bumping into Steve as I did.

“Sorry, Steve. Sorry,” I held out my hand and helped Steve up from the floor noticing that he was suited up.

“Uh-oh. What’s happened?” I asked. Steve dusted himself off before looking back up to me.

“Nothing… Peggy died and now people are accusing Bucky of bombing the UN summit in Vienna. I’m going to try and find him before someone kills him,” Steve admitted with a sigh.

“Do you want an extra set of hands to help out?” I asked watching Steve nod in response.

“We need to get to Vienna now. We’ll meet Sam there,” I nodded my head and took Steve’s offered arm, jumping the two of us to Vienna and right next to Sam.

“Why do I feel like you are going to keep doing that?!” Sam asked almost jumping out of his skin.

“Because I am,” I explained before seeing someone walking our way.

“Shadow, I need to ask you a favour. Keep an eye on Loki, Wanda and Pietro. I may need all of you to help me later,” Steve asked as the woman came and stood at the bar with the rest of us.

“You helped me, Steve. You have my word that if something happens, I’ll be there for you,” I explained before jumping back to the complex, worried about how this would turn out.

“Where is Steve?” Pietro asked walking into the training room.

“He’s in Vienna. He may need our help though. Would you and Wanda back him up if it came to it?” I asked turning to look at Pietro.

“He helped us when we needed it. We would fight for him,” I nodded my head still worried.

“Would you? Would Loki?” Pietro asked walking closer to me. “What is it?”

“A year or so back I was dying,” I explained as the memories within Bucky’s head swarmed my thoughts. “I had tried to go through Bucky’s mind to try and find what was causing such darkness inside of him and it began feasting off of my fear. Steve was the one who got me out of it and I still don’t know how.” I explained, surprising Pietro.

“He has saved a lot of people,” Pietro agreed and I shook my head.

“Not like this. He not only saved my life but he unconsciously saved the world as well.” I commented causing a bit of shock to cover Pietro’s face before I looked him directly in the eye and smiled. “I would die to help him out and Loki doesn’t get a choice. He knows I can kick his arse,”

“That is true,” Pietro agreed before nodding his head and running off god knows where in a silver streak. I smiled before jumping to Loki’s room, finding him sitting on the window sill and just looking outside. I breathed in and tried to push my thoughts to the back of my mind, focusing on Loki.

“Loki? Are you okay?” I walked up to him before sitting next to him.

“Yeah. These accords are tearing the Avengers apart. You know that right?” Loki asked turning to look at me.

“Only as much as we let it. Come on. I want to show you something I found ages ago,” I explained as I grabbed Loki’s hand and jumped.


	14. Chapter 13

“What is this place?” Loki asked as he looked around the ancient temple.

“We are in a special part of the Void at the moment. Try and not touch anything because anything could happen here. This part was designed millenniums ago so that Shadow Jumpers could come here for meetings and rituals from all over the universe. It’s an ancient Shadow Jumper temple called the Temple of the Damned.” I explained walking towards a doorway and pulled the shadows away so there was enough light for Loki to see.

“Seems like your people didn’t want anyone finding it,” Loki noted as he walked close behind me, I glanced over my shoulder to see him looking around the halls and into all of the rooms we walked past, awe covering his face. “Wait, shouldn’t I be dead by now?”

“No.This part of the Void has very powerful magic surrounding it that stops time for the body. Despite time still moving, your body is frozen in the same second allowing you to live.” I explained as we rounded the last corner, the prophet room coming into view. “The temple was created in such a way that meant anyone who ended up in the Void without a Shadow Jumper, would never be able to come here as this is sacred ground but there is something in the prophet room that you will want to see,”

I led Loki through the maze of scroll filled bookshelves in the prophet room and into the section with a variety of artistic works from paintings to tapestries.

“This one,” I pointed to a large painting that covered one wall of the room. There were three figures in the painting in different scenarios until the last scene of the painting where there were explosions covering it the entire space.

“Is that me?” Loki asked pointing to a green and gold figure with a horned helmet.

“Yeah. Want to know the best bit about this painting?” Loki turned to me with a worried look on his face before looking back to the figures, a black covered woman and another man wearing blue and red.

“It’s title the End of Reality. Not just our reality but the end of all realities. Every dimension, every universe. I looked through the scrolls that we walked past and found that it tells the story of how everything is going to end. It’s the last prophecy in  _The End of Everything: Prophecies of the Shadows._  My biological father does something that leads to us accidentally destroying the reality stone and it, in turn, destroys reality.” Loki’s eyes widened as I took a deep breath.

“That’s why you could read the book. You could be one part of the end of reality,” I noted and watched Loki carefully as he processed everything.

“There would have to be something that we can do to stop it,” Loki noted as he began pacing, avoiding the painting.

“Not that I can find,”

*** 2 days later***

“So you want us to wait up here?” Loki asked almost seeming to be offended by Steve’s order.

“And avoid being spotted while the rest of you make an oddly planned ‘scramble’ for the quin jet?” I added turning to face Pietro when he spoke.

“Until you give the signal that we can join in?”

“Pretty much,” Steve agreed. I shrugged and nodded my head before heading over to where Steve had asked the three of us to wait. As I sat down in the corner an alarm began blaring through the airport followed by someone speaking German.

“Alright. Let’s go,” Steve and the others ran for their positions through the airport while Loki and Pietro joined me in the darkest corner of the airport carpark.

“Alright. Anytime Shadow,” Loki and Pietro came closer to me as I shrouded the three of us in darkness and lowered the temperature of the black shadow to the same temperature as the airport carpark, hiding us in plain sight.

_“Everyone’s comms on?”_

“Sir, yes sir.” I called out in answer to Cap’s question hearing the two next to me laugh a bit.

 _“Well. Here we go,”_  I listened carefully to the comm line waiting to hear Cap’s fancy way of telling us to join the fight.

 _“Hear me out, Tony. That doctor, the psychiatrist, he's behind all of this.”_ Steve’s voice called over the comms.

“I can only hear one side of this conversation. It feels oddly weird guys,” I said over the comms able to hear everything everyone on our side said.

****_“_ ** ** _Your Highness… You're after the wrong guy.”_

“It feels like reading someone’s diary,” Pietro agreed

_“ And there are five more super soldiers just like him. I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony. I can't.”_

“Tony’s there,” Loki cheered quietly and I remembered just how badly Loki had been wanting to punch Stark. Something about not keeping his eyes where they are supposed to be.

 _"You've been busy.”_  Steve continued, none of us had heard anyone else speak.

“Hey, Sam. You found the quin jet yet?” I asked down the comms.

 _“You did that when you signed,”_ Steve said solemnly over the comms before Sam cut in.

****_“_ ** ** _Just now. We found it. Their Quin jet's in hanger five, north runway.”_

“You sound so proud of yourself,” Loki stated rolling his eyes.

_****“** ** _ _Alright, Lang.”_

“And they’re off. Scott takes the lead,” I announced in a commentary voice.

 ** ** _“_**** _I believe this is yours, Captain America.”_  Scott’s voice says formally.

“Going straight for the pass to Cap while other teams make their way for the jet,” Pietro adds and the three of us start laughing as we continue to listen to the conversations.

 _ ** **“****_ _Look, I really don't want to hurt you.”_ Is the last thing we heard from Scott before an ‘oof’.

_****“** ** _ _What the hell is that?”_

“Yay! Bucky’s joined the party!” I can feel Loki trying not to smile or laugh behind me as he watched Pietro and I listening intently to the comms and saying the first comment that comes to mind.

 _ ** **“****_ _Everyone's got a gimmick now.”_ Sam sounded annoyed as he spoke before their rushed breaths fill the comms.

_****“** ** _ _You locked me in my room.”_

“Go sister,” Pietro encouraged as Wanda’s voice flooded the comms.

_****“** ** _ _Hey, man.”_

“Uh, Clint. Just in case you hadn’t noticed. Wanda is a woman. Female,”

_“Shut up you three,” Clint joked quietly before talking louder. “ Well, I played 18, I shot 18. Just can't seem to miss.”_

_“Made you look.”_

“Oh. Look at that. We’ve had an influence on Hawkeye,” Loki cooed disrespectfully.

 _“Is this stuff coming out of you?”_ Sam sounded worried and kind of grossed out as he spoke.

”Sam. What the hell are you doing with Bucky?!” I asked able to hear Bucky huff out a laugh.

_****“** ** _ _I don't know if you've been a fight before but there's usually not this much talking.”_

“Sam has the kid with the webs,” Pietro pointed out after Sam’s comment.

‘”That literally explains so much,” I pointed out realising that he’d been talking about the webs and not… something else.

_“You couldn't have done that earlier?” Bucky asked._

_****“** ** _ _I hate you,” Sam said in an annoyed tone._

“So you and Bucky weren’t having any ‘fun times’ over there?” Loki asked patronizingly.

 _“Go away,”_  Sam hissed through the comm line.

 _ ** **“****_ _Hey, Cap heads up! Throw it at this. Now! Oh, man. I thought it was a water truck. Uh... sorry.”_ I facepalmed at Scott’s comment, realising that it was his fault that there was an explosion. As the people kept talking I could hear the hope and desperation in everyone’s tone of voice.

****“** ** _There's our ride.” Clint’s voice noted._

“Go, Team Cap! Go, Team Cap!” Pietro and I cheered as we listened to the team, Loki laughing quietly behind us.

_“Come on!” Steve encouraged before all of them had a moment where their breath hitched._

_****“****_ _What do we do, Cap?”_  Sam asked and I already knew the answer.

 _ ** **“****_ _We fight. SHADOW! ON MY RIGHT!”_ Steve called. I grabbed Pietro and Loki, jumping to a Shadow on Steve’s right. Lining the three of us up against everyone on Stark’s team.


	15. Chapter 14 ~ Epilogue

“Where did they come from?” A kid’s voice asked startled. I looked over and freaked at how young he actually was.

“Dude. He’s a kid!” I complained pointing to Spider-Man while looking at Tony, not sure if I was angry or annoyed.

“So are you,” I glared at Tony before looking back to the kid and tracing his fears.

“What 15? How’s Liz? What would your aunt say if she found out?” I asked watching the kid take a few steps back, his fear growing inside his mind.

“Shadow, he’s not your person.” I looked across in front of me and tried to calm myself while looking at Bruce who was on the edge of going code green.

“Oh. That’s how this is going to work,” Bruce said before letting go of his anger, the Hulk taking over his mind.

“Here, Loki. Use it wisely,” I formed a cloud of shadows over my hand before reaching for the symbol on Loki’s arm that had formed after the ritual. I felt some of my powers seeping from my body and entering Loki just as Hulk gained his composure.

“Let’s go,” Steve and the others began running, Pietro staying by my side while Thor and Loki began facing off next to us.

“You know when you look the devil in the eye and you’re not sure what to do?” Pietro asked me as Hulk narrowed his eyes at us.

“Yea,” I agreed nervously as Hulk smashed the ground and roared at us.

“I’m having that moment,” Pietro noted before running straight at Hulk, enraging him further but getting him to turn away from me. I ran and kicked Hulk in the back of the knee before jumping out of the way of his fist.

“For a big guy, he moves fast,” Pietro noted as he ran out of the way of a car Hulk had thrown at us. I jumped out of the way and got punched, sending me flying into the wall behind me. I poked my tongue out at Hulk and he threw a small truck at me. I jumped over next to Pietro to avoid getting hit.

“I think he’s angry,” Pietro commented when Hulk began throwing everything he could get.

“Really? I thought he was happy,” I asked Pietro sarcastically. I jumped to behind Hulk but at the wrong time as he grabbed me and threw me into another wall.

“I don’t think you can catch me,” Pietro commented, pulling Hulk away. Pietro zoomed out of Hulk’s reach for a few moments before Hulk smashed him into the wall next to me.

“Pietro, go grab Bucky and Steve. Get them to the quin jet. I’ll occupy the big guy,” I heaved, out of breath, after helping Pietro out of the wall before Hulk killed us. I saw Pietro nod before he ran off and out of Hulk’s reach.

“Come on Big Guy. I’m right here,” I encouraged as Hulk came charging at me. I jumped to a shadow behind him in time to see Hulk smash into the solid cement wall and the truck behind, dazing him slightly. Before I could do anything further, something hit me in the back of the head and I fell to the ground unconscious.

 _“What have we here?”_ While unconscious I was worried because I could still hear things happening around me but only bits and pieces as my body continued to be unresponsive.

 _“She passed some of her powers to Loki,” “I’ll detain them.”_ The sick feeling in the back of my head didn’t go away as I heard more and more bits and pieces of conversation from two or three men

 _“They can’t stay here, sir.” “Call…” “Pleasure to meet you again secretary…” “Oh. I know I’ll be able to detain her. It’s him I’m more concerned about.”_  I began to feel my body waking up and listened carefully to the conversation happening nearby.

“Are you sure you can detain them?” An unfamiliar voice asked quietly.

“I know I can. You give them to me and we say they were never here,” A very familiar voice agreed. I cracked an eye open to see Loki unconscious in front of me and two men nearby shaking hands. I reached over to Loki and checked his pulse finding him alive just asleep.

“Oh look. She’s awake. Do you remember me?” The larger of the two men crouched down in front of me and tilted his head to look me in the eyes. I blinked a few times but the man’s familiarity only seemed to get harder and harder to place. I turned my attention back to Loki before some men grabbed my body and pulled me away from him.

“She’s probably still a bit out of it but don’t let the two of them near each other. Sorry about her rough treatment, but apparently she was able to transfer some of her powers to him,” I glanced at the unfamiliar man again trying hard to place even the slightest recognition on him when I realised who he was.

“What… What are you doing? You’re… you’re supposed to be on… on our side,” I rasped out feeling a pull to slumber taking over again. I looked at my arm to see an empty needle being removed.

“I am not on the side of the disgusting and evil, mutant.” Ross spat before leaving after nodding to the other man.

“Go back to sleep. We’ll wait for you to wake up before we begin having fun,” The other man encouraged.

“Who are you?” I asked my eyelids dropping and everything beginning to blur.

“You’ll find out when you wake,” The man’s voice was faded and sounded like I was underwater as sleep pulled me back under.

When I woke up I was being dragged through a wet and musky hall with closed and open doors on either side, muffled screams erupting from the rooms but sounding distant. I looked into all of the rooms that I was dragged past and memories that I had thought were gone forever slowly came to my mind.

 _“Stay still and behave. Then you can go home,”_  A man whispered in one room. Each room had a different memory, each more painful than the last but the last room was the worst. The one where they stopped dragging me just flooded my mind with pain as the tied me to a creepy looking dentist chair, the reason I don’t lay down if someone is talking. Past memories and future horrors plaguing my mind and spiking my fear. A blood-covered knife came into view and a memory forced its way to the front of my mind, forcing me to relive it. To relive my childhood before I escaped.

_“No! Please let me go! I’ll be good! I’ll be a good girl! Please!” I beg before screaming at the top of my lungs as the man above me pushes a knife into my leg._

_“Scream all you want. You aren’t going anywhere,” He seethes before writing some stuff on a notepad and coming towards my head with another knife._

_“Now hold still so I don’t kill you,” the man orders as he places the cool metal against the skin of my neck._

_“NO! STOP! PLEASE!” I feel a pull to the darkness and pull as hard as I can. It feels like pulling a rope before I feel a drop in my stomach and then I am in an alleyway, hiding in a blanket of darkness I created. I recognise the alleyway, it’s where the professor found me._

“Who are you?” I ask the man as soon as the memory fades. I tried to keep my voice steady as I spoke but the quiver of fear was still present. He just laughed at me before turning his back to me and grabbing something off of a table.

“You don’t remember? Oh, but we had such good times together, Shadow. You were the first. The first that lived through a successful attempt to speed up the mutation in people with the mutant X-gene. You, you survived and turned out to be the strongest mutant anyone has ever seen. They made a whole new rank because of you but then you escaped. But not this time,” The man snapped turning back around with a needle.

“You have time to work it out, Shadow. After all, you’re going to be here a long, long time,” He moved away from my vision and pushed the needle into my arm. I winced and turned my head away to see an old picture frame on a desk on the far side of the room. A picture of 5 year old me laying on a similar contraption with fluids going into my body.

“Stryker. William Stryker,” I said fear running through my veins and lacing my voice.

“Welcome back, Timor Strange.”


End file.
